An amino compound obtained by subjecting a polyamine and an alkenyl compound to addition reaction has a relatively small content of unreacted polyamine and exhibits a low viscosity. For this reason, an epoxy resin composition including an epoxy resin curing agent containing such an amino compound is capable of providing a cured product having good properties.
The amino compound may be produced by a known method in which a polyamine and an alkenyl compound are subjected to addition reaction (refer to Patent Document 1). In the production method, as a catalyst, there is used an alkali metal, an alkali metal amide or an alkylated alkali metal.
However, among these catalysts used upon producing the amino compound by addition reaction between the polyamine and the alkenyl compound, for example, sodium as the alkali metal has an extremely high reactivity and therefore tends to undergo abrupt reaction with even a trace amount of water in air. For this reason, care must be taken upon handing the catalysts containing sodium. On the other hand, lithium has a relatively moderate reactivity with water as compared to sodium but exhibits a reactivity with nitrogen, when handled in atmospheric air. Therefore, it is required to handle the catalysts containing lithium in an argon gas or a helium gas (refer to Non-Patent Document 1).
Also, in the case of using a catalyst containing lithium amide as the alkali metal amide, although the catalyst can be relatively readily handled in air, an ammonia gas tends to be generated when the catalyst is converted into a readily removable salt or hydroxide after termination of the reaction. The ammonia gas generated has an odor and therefore has posed the problem that any facility is required to prevent occurrence of the odor.